Participants at the ‘Right Club’ meet-up held at Aromel, Film Nagar, Hyderabad. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
On Saturday afternoons, a group of 30 writers aged between 10 and 68 gather at Aeromail in Film Nagar for the biweekly meeting of Write Club Hyderabad, the largest community for and by writers in the city. Between 2pm and 5pm, the writers go through a short warm-up exercise and a longer writing session on a pre-determined topic and finally read their work aloud before closing the session with a collective peer review.
Thirty-three-year-old Sravanthi Talluri founded the club on one such Saturday afternoon in Lamakan, Banjara Hills in 2015. What started as a gathering of 9-10 people that day has now become a haven for writers from across the city. “Our aim was to facilitate the journey of writers by creating a supportive and symbiotic community. In nine years, writers who joined us in their early days have now become published authors,” she says.
So far around 600 meetings of the club have been held and four compilations have been published – blood and ink, Encounters, stories at 3 p.m.And Lamp-lit parchment — which includes stories written by participants over the years. She has also conducted writing workshops for children and participated in the 2022 edition of the Hyderabad Literature Festival.
Later, Aditya Undru, Shiv Bansal and P Sai Tej Kumar joined the club as organisers. Sravanti says their promotion relies on word of mouth or social media announcements. “Now more people know about the club because of our club’s presence on Instagram. Hyderabad is a cultural city, full of writers who are always looking for exciting activities. Most of our participants help spread the word about the club. There are no registration fees or benefits of any kind; writers can just come and join the community, without any age, language or writing format restrictions,” she adds.
Professional writer Shiv Bansal who has been associated with the club since 2017 recalls, “When I started writing, I had no academic background or training and was looking for a community of writers. I honed my skills and got writing opportunities through this club. It helped me build my career and now, as one of the organisers, I want to help other aspiring writers start their journey.”
Collaborative communities
Apart from providing a platform to hone writing skills, the club also serves as a community for those who feel lonely in their work. “Participants review each other’s work, without any individual feedback or judgement, which sets the club apart from a traditional classroom. It is a self-contained community that allows open conversations, helping writers overcome their creative blocks or any other barriers,” says Sravanti, who emphasises the club’s supportive role.
Twenty-three-year-old software engineer Bhargavi, who has been attending the club regularly for over a year, emphasises that the club brings together writers from different genres, including students, screenwriters, journalists, copywriters or anyone employed in another industry but passionate about writing. “Writing amongst 30 other writers who not only come from diverse backgrounds but also approach the art very differently helps you go beyond your peripheral vision about your work and the art of writing,” she says.
